The Auburn baseball team had no problem scoring last season, bruising opposing pitchers for a blistering 8.4 runs-per-game average.

Only problem was the Trojans also gave up runs at an alarming pace, letting their opponents hurt them with more than 10 per game.

So it’s no stretch of the imagination to figure out exactly what second-year coach Baj Alastra is focusing on in practice this year.

“In the first two weeks of practice, we’ve been really focusing and emphasizing defense and pitching,” Alastra said. “I really learned that defense and pitching are what we need to improve on after the lessons from last year.”

The good news for the Trojans, aside from their offensive capability, is their experience.

“We have 11 seniors this year,” Alastra said. “We’re much more experienced. A lot of the guys were playing their first year of varsity baseball last year.”

Gone is the team’s top inning-eater Zac Davis.

According to Alastra, Auburn will look to seniors Marshall Klontz, Justin Bidon and Jacob Carson, as well as junior Matt Hansen, to shoulder the load on the mound.

“They have a lot more mound time than last year,” he said. “So they’re more experienced with holding runners and throwing strikes, the things pitchers need to do to keep us in the game.

“Last year we made a lot of errors on defense, which didn’t help the staff,” Alastra continued. “So hopefully this year we’ll be a little better at that. The early indicators are telling us it’s helping. We’re making the routine plays, as well as the spectacular plays now.”

So far this season, Alastra said he is looking to Klontz a returning South Puget Sound League North 4A second-team all-leaguer, as well as SPSL North 4A first-team all-leaguer Travis Hagle and Clayton Brown to provide leadership.

“They’re working hard and staying after practice and really showing leadership to the younger guys,” he said.

With a tough schedule ahead of them in the brutal SPSL North 4A, the Trojans will need every bit of their talent, hard work and luck to make it on to the postseason and beyond.

“The short-term goal is really our defense and pitching this year and keeping ourselves closer in games,” he said. “Our long-term goal is to make the playoffs this year. After that, make it to state and win the state championship, which is always the final goal. Getting back to it and winning it.”

The Trojans will host Thomas Jefferson in their SPSL North 4A opener at 4 p.m. this coming Tuesday.